Fields and gardens are being planned, planted, and tended all across the Yakima Valley. Although you may have to wait a few months to enjoy your favorite fresh produce, there are plenty of fruits and vegetables already ready to harvest and showcase on your table this spring. Learn how to spotlight these spring-centric local flavors with these Yakima-inspired recipes.
Asparagus Pesto Salad
Recipe and photo credits to A Food Lover’s Kitchen
Ingredient Spotlight: Asparagus, Spinach
Find the full recipe here.
Fresh ingredients found at McIlrath Farm and Market
Asparagus is one of the Yakima Valley’s most abundant spring crops, and there’s almost no end to the ways that you can enjoy it at your dinner table! Try a creamy asparagus soup on cooler days, or a fan-favorite charred asparagus as a side dish.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, let the asparagus take center stage with this bright and crisp asparagus pesto salad. Find your produce at McIlrath Farm and Market, founded in the mid-1970s and serving the Valley with great produce, even via local subscription boxes, ever since.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Recipe and photo credits to Sally’s Baking Addiction
Ingredient Spotlight: Zucchini
Find the full recipe here.
Fresh ingredients found at Jones Farms
Jones Farms has been a staple of the Yakima community for going on four generations, and their abundance of produce from June all the way through October makes them a must-stop on a tour of local farms, no matter when in the season you’re making your rounds.
Zucchini, which has a rolling harvest beginning in June, is a perfect candidate for this easy and delicious double chocolate zucchini bread. This recipe has the sweetness and soft, smooth texture of a classic zucchini bread, and the added depth from the cocoa will make it a new household favorite all year long.
Herbed Goat Cheese
Recipe and photo credits to Shutterbean
Ingredient Spotlight: Chevre, Chives
Find the full recipe here.
Fresh ingredients found at Tieton Farm and Creamery
Herbed goat cheese is one of the best additions to a grazing table, ideal for anything from a picnic lunch to a dinner party with friends. Making your own from scratch adds extra charm and detail that puts this recipe over the top, especially when ingredients are sourced from local farms.
Tieton Farm and Creamery is a solar-powered farm that uses intensive grazing to give its flocks the best quality of life possible, which in turn creates some of the best milk and cheeses in the Valley. On your way back home, stop by a local winery like French Canyon Farms to pick up the perfect drink pairing to complement your spread.
Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Pasta
Recipe and photo credits to EatingWell
Ingredient Spotlight: Mushrooms, Spinach
Find the full recipe here.
Fresh ingredients found at the Downtown Yakima Farmers Market
This mushroom and spinach pasta only requires two dishes to make, so if you’re not sure what to have for dinner tonight, give it a try and find your new favorite dish of the summer. Light and refreshing while still being filling and nutritious, this pasta highlights two of spring’s most prolific crops.
Visit the Downtown Yakima Farmers Market every Sunday after its opening day on May 11, 2025, to find fresh mushrooms and bundles of spinach from a variety of vendors and nearby farms. While you’re at the Market, be sure to browse the other stalls to see what produce is being offered any given weekend– there’s always something new to enjoy!
Classic Cherry Cobbler
Recipe and photo credits to Desserts on a Dime
Ingredient Spotlight: Cherries, Strawberries
Find the full recipe here.
Fresh ingredients found at Thompson’s Farm
Warm cherry cobbler, topped with a dollop of French vanilla ice cream– what more could you ask for from a summer evening? Cherries are among the first of the berry crop to ripen, so visit Thompson’s Market along Highway 12 in June for your choice of the season’s best cherries.
Throw in a few strawberries, which also ripen in early June and continue bearing fruit for most of the summer, to add another layer of depth and local flavor to this dessert.
